TWO village shops are to go head to head in a contest to find the UK's best local shopping experience.

Feckenham Community Shop in Worcestershire and Yarpole Community Shop in Herefordshire are competing for the village shop champion of champions title in the Countryside Alliance Awards.

The CA Awards, known as the "Rural Oscars", are celebrating their 10th anniversary and every UK champion of the last ten years is being invited back to re-compete for champion of champions titles. Feckenham Community Shop took the UK Village Shop in 2009 while Yarpole won it in 2010, meaning both qualify for these best-of-the-best awards.

This Awards scheme is reliant on a public vote and is open online from November 1-30 at www.countrysideallianceawards.org.uk. The businesses have also been sent a supply of vote forms so that the loyal customers who helped them to a national award can perhaps help them secure another.

Jill Grieve, Countryside Alliance Awards Director commented: “Feckenham is a community enterprise that is run by an impressive 80 volunteers. After 20 years without a shop a group of volunteers with no previous retail experience bought, upgraded and opened a new one. Villagers raised more than £40,000 in just seven months and 300 parishioners signed up as shareholders. The result has been a resounding success, not just because a shop has returned to the village after so long, but also because of the feelgood factor the project has brought to the community.

“Yarpole Community Shop is run by the community and based in St Leonard's church. In the 1950s there were seven local shops, by 2004 there were none, leaving the area bereft. Showing community spirit and verve, 326 parishioners bought shares in the shop. The project is the first full-time shop to operate within church premises, staffed by volunteers. The shop stocks a huge amount of local produce and also houses a café in the church gallery which is attended regularly by the local police officer to offer advice and support to the Neighbourhood Watch scheme. Yarpole village shop is the centre of this vibrant rural community. We are recognising the determination to pull together to ensure the community survives, which is vital if rural life as we know it is to continue. I would urge everyone in to get behind these community heroes to help in their bid for a Champion of Champions title.”